Have you noticed that driving at night has become more difficult? Perhaps oncoming headlights seem unusually bright, streetlights have halos around them, or you find it harder to see clearly in low-light conditions. These changes can sometimes be associated with cataracts.
Cataracts develop when the natural lens inside the eye becomes cloudy. As the lens becomes less clear, light can scatter as it passes through the eye, affecting the quality of your vision. Glare, halos and difficulty seeing at night are recognised symptoms of cataracts.
Why do cataracts affect night driving?
Driving at night already requires your eyes to adapt to lower levels of light. When cataracts are present, this can become more challenging.
Oncoming headlights can appear much brighter than they used to, while streetlights and other bright sources may produce halos or glare. You may also notice reduced contrast, making it harder to distinguish objects, road markings or pedestrians against a darker background.
These changes can make driving feel more tiring and uncomfortable, even if you can still read a standard eye chart reasonably well.
Is it always cataracts?
Not necessarily. Changes to night vision can have several possible causes, including changes in your prescription, dry eye and other eye conditions. This is why persistent changes in your vision should be assessed rather than assumed to be caused by cataracts.
An eye examination can establish whether cataracts are present and assess the overall health of your eyes.
When should you consider cataract surgery?
Cataract surgery may be considered when your vision begins to interfere with activities that are important to you, including driving. LondonOC specifically notes that difficulty driving at night, halos and problems in low-light conditions can be reasons to consider treatment.
The timing of surgery is an individual decision based on your symptoms, lifestyle and the impact cataracts are having on your everyday life.
If night driving has become increasingly difficult because of glare, halos or reduced vision, a specialist cataract assessment can help determine whether cataracts are contributing to the problem and whether treatment could improve your quality of life.